


Necrotic Botany

by B0NEZ0NE



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Implied drinking, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Frisk, i Knew i forgot a tag, i feel like im forgetting some tags, theres gonna be some papyrus/reader stuff but its mostly platonic if im being honest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 10:29:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10739862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B0NEZ0NE/pseuds/B0NEZ0NE
Summary: Just a small 'friends to lovers' fic I've had in my head since the game came out. Will update the tags and warnings as it goes along!





	1. Life Has Many Doors

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote a Sans/Reader comfort fic like a year ago and promised I'd write something about how they met, and then never actually wrote it. So here I am again, actually writing it out. I'm not terribly comfortable with my writing skill, so please be gentle.
> 
> This is going to be un-beta'd b/c I don't have anyone to do so, so let me know if there's any glaring errors that need to be fixed. I try my best to make sure it's readable.
> 
> (I'm taking a break from the D&D campaign I'm writing cause I'm a little burnt out, but I don't want my energy to go to waste!)

It'd been another slow day at the Emporium, even with the increased business due to the arrival of Monsters. Not that you were complaining! Slow days mean more time lazing around on your laptop at the counter instead of filling out odd orders from customers. The shop closes at 10 PM, and you kept eyeing the clock on the wall as the hands ticked ever closer. 

Outside, monsters and a few odd humans filed their way down the street, probably heading toward the bar that had opened about 6 months ago. What was it called? Grill-something? Whatever. It was one of many monster-owned businesses that had opened on the street, which didn't really come as a surprise to you, given most humans weren't keen on being around a magic shop run by a mage. It just meant that there were more open buildings for monsters to occupy.

The clock rang out the time, and you moved to close up the shop. As you were doing so, you took notice of the larger group of monsters moving wobbily past the front of the shop, obviously having just been to the bar. An excited shout and the sound of a rattled garbage can told you that one of them had probably spotted the stray cat in the alley next to the shop, and were probably accosting the poor thing. You smiled softly to yourself and shook your head, going back to gathering up your belongings. As you reached for your keys, you heard another shout, causing you to pause. It hadn't sounded particularly happy, and you wondered if maybe one of them had gotten injured back there.

Suddenly there was a series of shouts, some of them distinctly human. You whirled around and weaved your way through the back of the shop to the door. Throwing it open, you rushed out to find two armed humans had cornered the group of monsters in the alleyway. One of the monsters, a blue fish-woman, was brandishing a spear at the attackers, daring them to come closer.

One of the humans stepped forward, cocking what sounded like a pistol. “You might wanna put the magic away, you fucking freak. I'm pretty sure this gun can dust you faster than you can kill me!” Pistol-human sneered, waving the gun in the air. His bat-wielding comrade followed his example, stepping forward as well. “We're gonna show you a little 'human hospitality', now that you're taking over our city.” Bat-human spit at the group. “You should have fucking stayed underground!” He yelled, winding up for a strike. 

You looked around desperately for a way to stop them. Your line-of-sight was blocked by some dumpsters, and you didn't want to risk hitting the monsters. You noted some dandelions growing next to the feet of the pistol-human, and dropped down to your knees to plant your hands on the gravely soil. 

Taking a deep breath, you willed your magic through the earth to the flower, causing enlarged roots to spring from the dirt. Pistol-human called out in shock as the roots knocked the gun out of his hands and wound their way around his arms, pinning them to his torso and lifting him off the ground by several feet. This caused bat-human to jump back surprised, before he gripped his bat tightly and charged towards the roots. 

You let out a strained snort of amusement before commanding the roots to swing pistol-human at his friend like a makeshift weapon, knocking him back and over your head, out of the alley entirely. You then threw pistol-human the same direction, causing him to land on top of his friend. The two of them scrambled away and down the street, yelling curses and insults as they went, weapons and intentions forgotten.

The root you had been commanding slowly slithered back into the earth as you stood up, wiping your hands on your pants. The monsters looked a little shocked, and none of them moved until you called out to them. “Hey! Are you guys alright? None of you got hurt?”

One of the monsters, a tall, armor-clad skeleton wearing a red scarf, was the first to come-to. “WOWIE! I HAD NO IDEA I WOULD BE MEETING A MAGE SO SOON!!!” He exclaimed, rushing over to scoop you up in a rib-crushing hug. You gasped, weakly patting his pauldron. “C-can't...breathe...hhhh...” The skeleton seemed to jolt at this, and gently set you down.

“I APOLOGIZE, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SOMETIMES FORGET HOW STRONG AND HANDSOME I AM! I DID NOT MEAN TO...TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY? NYEH HEH HEH!!” The skeleton, err...Papyrus? Posed heroically, his scarf flapping gently in the breeze. 

Now it was your turn to sit there stunned. How anyone could be so tall and loud was beyond you. As you quietly gaped at him, a shorter skeleton approached and eyed you up with a chuckle. “nice one bro. i knew you had it in you.”

“I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT MY PUNS ARE WELL-TIMED AND WELL-CRAFTED, LIKE MY PASTA!” He huffed indignantly, turning his head away. The approach of the smaller skeleton snapped you out of your daze, and you let out an amused snort at the exchange. Before you could speak, the fish-woman shoved her way to the front of the group, a short lizard-woman tucked under her arm.

“You!” She yelled, swinging her arm towards you, a clawed finger stopping just short of your nose. The force of the swing caused her to wobble slightly, and your eyes followed the arm up to her face, which was a bit flushed. “Where did you learn to fight like that, punk?! That was fucking awesome!” She then lifted you up with one arm, crushing you to her chest. You blushed at the sudden contact, and stuttered. “I-I uh...I'm a mage?” Your voice cracked at the end, causing you to blush harder. In her other arm, the yellow monster nervously tapped at the fish-woman's shoulder to get her attention. “U-Undyne...maybe y-you should p-p-put her down?”

Undyne barked out a laugh, letting you drop back down to your feet. “Pfff, yeah okay. Sorry! I'm pretty drunk.” You chuckled nervously, straightening out your clothes while taking a deep breath. “Heh, that's okay. Do you guys need a safer way home? I don't want you guys to run into more trouble after all that. I know a shortcut!”

You stepped past them, waving your hand in a 'come here' motion as you walked toward the backdoor of your shop. Puzzled, yet intrigued, the group of monsters followed you to the door. You cleared your throat and turned toward the group. “You guys probably don't want to give me your address, so I'll need one of you to hold my hand and imagine your front door for me.” 

At that, the shorter skeleton stepped up and offered his hand. As you gripped it gently, something akin to embarrassment flashed over his features for a moment, but you were too busy with your spell to notice. You raised your right hand to the door and rapped your knuckles on the hard metal three times, and then reached for the handle.

As you opened the door, the group let out a collective gasp. Instead of the shop's interior, it was the cozy livingroom of the skeletons' surface home. You cleared your throat and gestured through the door. “I'm assuming this is the right place. Once I close this door, it'll go back to being your own front door again.” Papyrus and Undyne rushed through the doorway with the short skeleton meandering behind them. They were drunkenly gushing about how cool that was, and you shot the short skeleton a wink as you closed the door behind them. “Feel free to stop by the shop if you ever need a safe way to get home! Have a good night!”

Papyrus whirled around, nearly knocking Undyne over as he heard your goodbye. “HUMAN-MAGE! WAIT!! WE DID NOT--” He yanked the door open to find that you had disconnected the portal. “--GET YOUR NAME. OH...DANG.”


	2. Dazed and Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small flashback to give you some insight into Reader's life prior to this, as well as some info on the universe in general. Stay tuned for more!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me at http://ghoul-ification.tumblr.com/! Feel free to physically fight me, or to ask questions. I could use the attention either way. :V
> 
> This is going to be un-beta'd b/c I don't have anyone to do so, so let me know if there's any glaring errors that need to be fixed. I try my best to make sure it's readable.
> 
> I ended up making some small edits to the first chapter after spotting some errors myself. Embarrassing. '~'

Your morning had been spent answering questions for the police about the attack next to the shop. It turns out a concerned human across the street had called the police after the thugs ran off, but you had already gone home by the time they had arrived. The police hadn't felt the need to track down the monsters, taking you and the witness at your word that they left unharmed. If you were being honest, it was more likely that they didn't want to get the magistrate involved. Mages meant a lot of red tape, and even more paperwork.

You sighed, running your hands down your face, knocking your already broken glasses further askew. If you were being honest, you kind of wished your powers hadn't developed at all. Your life had been quiet, and...fairly normal. Up until the tender age of 22, a year and a half ago.

***

It had been some simple yardwork. You say simple, as if the backyard wasn't a hellscape of unmowed grass and untrimmed lilac bushes. Every once in a while, your step-dad would ask you to try and tackle that mess, and it would usually end with both of the rechargeable mowers completely dead within 15 minutes of starting. 

You were unusually determined to get /something/ done today. And after the usual 15 minutes of struggling with the lawn, you decided 'fuck it' and moved on to tackle the unruly trees and bushes that had sprouted up around the decaying shed. The thing itself was a safety hazard, rotted and rusted, so you tended to avoid it. You weren't gonna let a little concern stop you from doing what you could, no sir! As you worked your way around the side closest to the fence with the hedge trimmers, a faint scraping noise caught your attention. You instinctively backed yourself away, bumping into the small tree behind you.

The scraping turned into quiet scratches, and you relaxed a little. It was probably a stray cat, or even your own cat. You scrunched your nose up at the idea of your eldest cat under there. You hated when she came inside all muddy; she always beelines for your computer chair and leaves muddy pawprints all over it. You huffed loudly and started to turn your attention to the knee-high bush you were standing in when a raccoon scrambled out from under the shed, rushing at you.

You're not ashamed to admit that you screamed. It was scary! You'd never even /seen/ a raccoon in Alberta before, despite living in a small town, and it caught you off-guard. You flung your arms out in front of you, as if trying to will the raccoon to not attack you. As you did, there was the awful sound of wood cracking and splintering, and you were shocked to find that huge roots and vines had burst from the ground around the shed, crushing and entangling everything around them. You tried to back away and found that the vines had wrapped around your leg, and the movement spurred the vines into action, yanking you up into the air to dangle. The motion cause you to slam your head against the fence, effectively dazing you.

When you came back to your senses, you were about 20ft in the air, upside down, and very disorientated. In front of you in a similar position was the raccoon, frantically struggling to get away. You felt a pang of concern for the animal; you were never one to enjoy seeing animals hurt or afraid. Below you, a familiar voice caught your attention. It was your mom, calling for your step-dad to get help. The blood rushing to your head was making it hard to understand what she was saying as she tried to get your attention. You were struggling to stay conscious, but the blow to the head and the stress of the situation quickly caught up to you, and you lost consciousness.

***

Apparently instead of calling 911 like decent people, your neighbors had reported you to the Magistrate, and once you had been cleared from the hospital, they collected you for registration in Edmonton. From there you would be housed with another Mage, and would learn how to control your powers; possibly learning other abilities, depending on how charitable the teacher was. Your experience was slightly different, however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how I did! Comments are appreciated. I'd like to know this is actually worth my time to do. I don't have an update schedule, so chapters will come at random (sometimes several a day!). I'll always make sure to post at least one chapter a week, however!
> 
> The next few chapters will be more world-building! I apologize if you're not a fan of that, but this stuff is important to the story. Plus I spent a lot of time building this up in my head, and I'd like for people to see what I've come up with! :33c
> 
> Before I go, I'd like to say that a lot of Reader's info and life stuff is heavily based off my own, as this is quite literally a self-insert story. I'll be keeping Reader's looks fairly vague, and she'll never have an actual name (a nickname will come later however, cause I'm a sucker for 'em, and I myself have a billion).
> 
> As for the location itself, I wanted to have it set in Canada, because that's where I live, and most of the other fics I've read either take place in a fantasy location, or in the US. :V


	3. A Budding Relationship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little info on the Reader's teacher, and how she got her current job!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me at http://ghoul-ification.tumblr.com/! Feel free to physically fight me, or to ask questions. I could use the attention either way. :V
> 
> This is going to be un-beta'd b/c I don't have anyone to do so, so let me know if there's any glaring errors that need to be fixed. I try my best to make sure it's readable.

Sydney Auski is the current Magister of Alberta; a Méti woman in her early 70's with long, dark gray hair and light brown skin. She carries herself with the wisdom and grace of a mother, despite never settling down.

It was by sheer luck that she had come to the Magistrate Registry the day you were brought in. Normally she would have went about her business, but the arrival of an undocumented, adult mage caught her attention, pulling her from her scarcely-used office, paperwork forgotten. It was rare that a mage's powers developed so late; emotional trauma was a leading cause, and was always something that tugged on Sydney's heartstrings. She watched from the window in the interrogation room, concern clouding her features. They were treating you like a fugitive, as they did all adult mages who came in unregistered. Most adult mages who lived undocumented did so intentionally. It was often a case of fear; parents who were unwilling to give up their children when their powers manifested, safeguarding their secret from their neighbors and friends. 

You however, were obviously a late-bloomer. Your powers were too chaotic and underdeveloped to have been hiding them, and your soul sang out in fear and confusion over your treatment. The magister shook her head, knocking on the window before leaving the observation room. The interrogators, fellow mages, moved outside the room. “Ma'am? We didn't know you would be in the building today. As you can see, we've found another unregistered mage. We're --” Sydney held up a hand, silencing the first mage. “I can see what you're doing. This woman has obviously just developed her powers. I see no reason to continue to harass her in this manner. I trust her paperwork has been filed?”

The second mage stepped forward, stuttering. “I u-uh, we – I mean, yes ma'am!” Sydney raised an eyebrow at the young man, before turning her attention to the interrogation room. “Good. Give her the appropriate copies of her paperwork and send her to my office. She has spent enough time under your 'care'.” The elderly magister then turned and walked across the hallway to the elevator, stepping inside. Before the doors closed, she addressed the two mages once more. “I expect her to come up alone.”

***

Your anxiety was through the roof. It had taken all your willpower to not break down in the interrogation room, and even now you were struggling to hold back tears. Your life was over. They were going to lock you away like a criminal for something you didn't even know you had. The elevator dinged its arrival on the selected floor, and you sniffled, trying to regain your composure as you made your way to the magister's office. Before you could knock on the dark metal door, it opened, revealing the magister herself.  
You felt yourself tense up, and her face softened as she put a hand between your shoulderblades and guided you to one of the chairs in front of her desk. Instead of sitting behind the desk, she took the chair next to you, turning to face you. “Hello there, ____. My name is Sydney Auski. I'm sure my employees told you that already, however.” She paused, looking you over. “I'm sorry...I know this must be frightening. You don't need to hold it in, dear one.”

At that, your soul throbbed painfully, fat tears running down your face. You were too stressed out and upset to be embarrassed over it, honestly. You could count the times you'd cried in front of people since middle school on one hand. It wasn't that crying was not in your nature; you simply preferred to push it down, to hide it so people wouldn't ask questions. But here you sat, crying in front of someone you'd never met, over a situation that was completely out of your control. You didn't bother speaking as Sydney scooted closer to hold you. The two of you sat like this for several minutes until you had calmed down to where you felt like you could hold a conversation. “Now then...You seem to be at least partially aware of the process for new mages, yes?” You gave her a weak nod, just barely maintaining eye-contact. “You'll be sent to live with a teacher, to help you control your abilities. However...” 

She paused, glancing out the large window that overlooked part of downtown. “Due to the uniqueness of your situation, I'm going to offer you the chance to study under myself. Typically studying under a magister is reserved for particularly gifted children, but I find myself unwilling to simply send you away...” Sydney turned back to you, cupping your cheek with a gentle hand. Your face flushed in turn, the tenderness of the action catching you off-guard. “Is that okay? You do not have to accept, I won't be upset. I promise.” She gave you a warm smile, and you gave her another weak nod in return.

“I wouldn't...wouldn't mind that a-at all...” 

***

You got up from behind the counter and stretched, looking around the shop fondly. After you had collected your belongings and said your goodbyes to your family, Sydney had moved you into the space above her shop. Normally her students would live with her, but she had a group with her currently, and she felt you would be better off with your own space. You were honestly pretty thankful; in the year that you had spent under her direct care, you'd grown considerably. Not just as a mage, but as a person as well.

Now you were here, maintaining her shop in her absence. While your training wasn't truly complete, Sydney no longer had the time to spend running a shop alongside teaching children. For the last 6 months, she was working closely alongside Asgore and Toriel to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the monsters who had emerged from Mount Ebott, inside Jasper National Park.

The bulk of these monsters had settled in Edmonton, due to the proximity to Jasper itself. The Magistrate had decided that monsterkind was now under Sydney's jurisdiction, as they were magical in nature. She of course, took it in stride, welcoming them. The fact that monsters were made of magic, and regularly practiced it, meant that the restrictions on human mages were loosened considerably. It certainly made your life much easier. It meant you could use your magic in public to defend yourself, or like last night, other people. It meant everyone had a bit more freedom to be themselves. You tapped your fingers on the counter, smiling happily. It meant you might be able to go home and visit your family sooner than you thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how I did! Comments are appreciated. I'd like to know this is actually worth my time to do. I don't have an update schedule, so chapters will come at random (sometimes several a day!). I'll always make sure to post at least one chapter a week, however!
> 
> And now that I've got the general setting down, your favorite cast of goobers will be returning to the story! Let me know if anything was??unclear, in terms of setting. Obviously I'll be putting in more info as it's needed.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd also like to apologize for how short these chapters are going to be. I was never very good at writing longer pieces, as I unintentionally tend to get all the info out in as little words as possible. A lazy habit from high school. :V
> 
>  


End file.
